Kenneth Springirth 128 pages softcover
West Chester Railroad
is a photographic essay of the railroad that linked the borough of West
Chester, Pennsylvania, via Media to Philadelphia. West Chester (25
miles west of Philadelphia and 17 miles north of Wilmington, Delaware)
was connected to Philadelphia by the West Chester & Philadelphia
Railroad in 1858. It came under control of the Pennsylvania Railroad in
1881. The Pennsylvania Railroad and New York Central Railroad combined
to form Penn Central Transportation Company in 1968, and following
bankruptcy came under Consolidated Rail Corporation. In 1983, the
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) began
operating the Media-West Chester line until 1986 when service was cut
back to Elwyn. During 1996, Four States Railway Service leased from
SEPTA a 6.405-mile segment of the line between West Chester and Glen
Mills in Pennsylvania. Volunteers spent a year to rebuild trackage and
began West Chester Railroad passenger excursion service in 1997.
